The One That Is All
by oceanlover4evr
Summary: Josh and Sophie flee to Germany, evading the clutches of John Dee. There, Flamel meets an unexpected fellow alchemist and ally. Post CoS.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Gosh, my very first story. I'm not a good writer, so please don't flame me. So, obviously, this is a crossover between SINF and FMA. I was surprised that there were only three, because of the whole alchemy connection,and so I decided to write my own. FMA- a mix between the anime, Brotherhood, and manga. Definately Post- CoS, slightly AU. For SINF, it's between Sorceress and Necromancer, only because I didn't like the way Necromancer turned out (even though it was inevitable), so definately a bit of alt-story part there. Um, the title is based on the fact that the riddle Izumi gave Ed and that line in the prophecy seem really similar, as if the two alchemies still shared one basic root. So, like the two worlds having similarities, or whatnot. Um, what else... oh yeah, disclaimers.**

**Disclaimer: oceanlover4evr does not own FMA or Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, nor is she trying to make money off this (as if I would actually make anything). Enough with this long, rambling author's note, and just read the actual story. and please remember to review!**

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><p><em>All is One, and One is All.<br>_

-Izumi Curtis (Fullmetal Alchemist)

_**...The two that are one must become the one that is all.**_

- Abraham the Mage, _Prophecy in the Codex_ _(_The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel_)_

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><p>"I hope Gilgamesh is okay."<p>

"And Palamedes."

"And Shakespeare."

"Hmm?" the older man asked, only half-listening.

"We _said_, we hope they're okay. It's our fault their home was destroyed."

Nicholas Flamel turned around in his seat to look at the two twins, His tired, yet sharp eyes met their brilliant blue ones. He snorted. "They'll be okay. Palamedes is the Saracen Knight, a trained warrior and fearsome in combat. Gilgamesh couldn't have survived this long without some tricks up his sleeve. And Will, contrary to his bookish appearances, is a lot more dangerous than he looks. Like I said, they'll be fine. The problem now is your safety. We know San Francisco is littered with Dee's agents. They'll all be looking for you. There is practically nowhere for us to go."

"This is all your fault!" Josh snarled. "If it wasn't for you we wouldn't be fugitives from the law and monsters!"

"Josh, calm down." His twim sister rested a hand on his arm, trying to placate him. Flamel merely sighed.

"Josh, we've already been through this. You can't change who you are. You two are Gold and Silver, the twins of legend. Even if I never entered your life, even if you were never Awakened, you destiny would have caught up sooner or later. Face the facts. Even without my help, this was bound to happen." Josh just glared. Flamel sighed. 'Either way, there are precious few places we can go without agents of Dark Elders knowing. I was thinking about Germany."

The twins sat back, and blinked. Sophie was the first to speak. "Why Germany?" Flamel smiled.

"Sophie, think. Browse through the Witch's memories. Are there many Elders or immortals in Germany" Her eyes briefly turned silver, and then returned to their normal sapphire blue, and she shook her head.

"The Witch knows there are still some kobolds roaming around, but they shouldn't pose too big a threat if we just stay clear from them. There are no Elders currently living there as far as she is concerned, and as for immortals, there are none ever since Hitler moved to North Korea."

Josh frowned. "Kobolds?" he asked, the unfamiliar term feeling foreign in his mouth.

"Goblin-like creatures. Not nearly as bad as the Disir," Flamel said cheerfully. Then he turned serous. "Perenelle and I have been thinking about this, and Germany seems like a good , empty, we'll be hard to track.:

"Speaking of Perenelle, where is she?"

Flamel paused, then decide to tell them the truth. It wouldn't hurt for them to trust him a little more, after all. "She went to check the plane ticket prices. Although traveling by plane will make it easier to track us, we don't dare risk using leygates at this point, and like I said, Germany is a big country and easy to disappear in."

Josh grunted again, then spoke up. "It seems extreme, but after the stuff we've seen these past few days, I don't mind a little isolated peace and quiet, without any monsters chasing us about."

"So you two agree that we go to Germany."

"Yes." Sophie cut in, sensing the friction that always seemed to be hovering between Josh and Nicholas. "But you have to give us time. We need to tell our Aunt where we're going, and pack and stuff. We can't just dissapear on her like we did. She was worried sick about us last time."

Nicholas frowned. 'But then she'll know where you are, and the whole point of this is so we can disappear until we can find someone to further teach you the elemental magics. In addition, Dee's agents will still be looking for us, so the sooner we leave, the better."

Josh rolled his eyes and laughed bitterly. "It's called finding an excuse. Or, if you want the more familiar term, a _lie_. We should be fine. She'll believe us. After all, we did learn from a master." Again, Flamel frowned, but didn't say anything. He made a mental note to himself, though, to do something about Josh's hostile attitude. _Though he can't be completely blamed, _he thought to himself. _I should've acted more trutworthy, and I _definitely_ should never have left him out of my sight. That talk with Dee was extremely damaging._ He blinked, and sighed. The twins were different from when they had first embarked on this adventure ( if you could call it that) together. They had been so meek, so afraid, yet so ignorant of the world around them, its dangers and perils, their own powers and destiny. When had that all changed? He could respect their fear, their suspicion, but he wished they wouldn't take it out on him. He sighed again, this time with a resigned air.

"Very well. We leave tomorrow."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Don't own FMA or Secrets. Don't kill me.**

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><p>Sophie yawned, stretching her arms, and then blinked. "So <em>this<em> is Munich," she muttered. Josh gave her a playful punch.

"Well, what did you expect? Everyone to be blond and blue-eyed and be wearing vests and lederhosen?"

"That's not fair, Josh!" Sophie protested, pouting. "That's accusing me of being racist and the kind of person who subjects everyone else to stereotypes." Josh laughed.

"Calm down, Soph. I was just kidding!" Bantering done, they studied their surroundings in silence. Actually, it was a lot like Paris... only German. Flamel walked up.

"Unfortunately, cities have a bad habit of attracting Elders and immortals, so to be on the safe side, we're going out to the country. I know someone who lives in the town of Risemburg. We'll be staying there.

"Anything we need to know about this 'someone' before we meet them? Stuff that might be taboo in front of them? Maybe names that shouldn't be mentioned, or curses that they may be under?" Josh asked, clearly remembering his tactless remarks regarding Hekate. He scowled. It wasn't his fault! How was he to know about the whole three-faces-a-day situation? Sophie gave a small giggle at the recollection, and Josh glared at her. Perenelle chose that moment to walk up behind her husband. Her face showed faint wrinkles, and her hair already showed traces of white and grey, reflecting on the strain of magic and the effects of everyday spent without the Elixir to restore youth. Nevertheless, she walked firmly and steadily, with dignity and head held high. Her eyes showed knowledge and wisdom your average person wouldn't even dream of. She turned to the disgruntled boy and answered.

"No, he's human, or was. He's probably dead by now. What my husband has forgotten was that that was back in 1923, so like I said, he's no longer living at this point." ("Ack... how could I have forgotten?" mumbled Flamel under his breath.)

"So why-" Josh was cut off by Perenelle, who resumed speaking as if Josh hadn't spoken. Josh merely grunted in annoyance. "However, we're still staying in Risemburg. He may have had family or friends that'll help us and give us a place to stay. We need shelter while searching for someone to teach you elemental magics. Our cover story will be that we, meaning Nichola and I, are physicists traveling around doing research. Our friend mentioned studying under this man, so we came to look at his research notes. You'll be our assistants for the summer." The twins thought this over.

"Seems reasonable enough to me," said Sophie at last, breaking the heavy silence that had ensued. "But why physics?" Josh agreed. Physics wasn't exactly his strong suit, whereas natural science and other archeology-related subjects were. This time it was Flamel who answered.

"When we first met this man, he was a government scientist also working as a professor of physics in a university in Munich. At that time, we were starting our jobs as scientists in physics, which eventually led us to making an atomic bomb in Arizona, if you recall. Anyway, we studied for a bit under him, and once we started our own research, swapped notes with him the way two housewives might swap recipes. After a short period of time, we became fast friends, but we fell out of touch after World War II. I actually hadn't realized so much time had gone by already, or the fact that he's probably dead by now. I wish we had remembered sooner, and at least said good-bye." Nicholas Flamel's eyes glimmered slightly, as if unseen tears were fighting their way to the surface. The twins sat in silence while digesting all they had learned, while Perenelle stared out of the window of the hotel room. Then Josh finally spoke up.

"But what was his name?" He asked. "You never mentioned it." Flamel smiled sadly. Perenelle turned around to regard the twins, then, looking directly at Josh, answered.

"His name was Van Hohenheim."

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Nrgh... wasn't too pleased with the way this chapter turned out. Way too short, for one thing, another was that all the phrases seemed awkward, and couldn't get the plot to flow properly. I also apologize for any character OOC-ness.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything, besides the plot. And _that_ still may be a figment of my imagination. Or a figment of chocolate. Whichever comes first.  
><strong>

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><p>Josh wasn't pleased. They had traveled through the countryside on a cart pulled by a grey, elderly donkey with arthritis. Apparently cars couldn't come through here because the roads (if you could call them that. They seemed to be tracks of dirt worn down by countless people traveling the same directions) weren't wide enough, and there were no gas stations for miles around. Plus, all the rocks might cause damage to the tires. Said rocks were currently the source of Josh's misery. Every bump and rut, every rock and pebble, were all amplified by the rickety wooden cart they were traveling in. He was sure that he'd have black and blue bruises by the time they got to Risemburg. One example of the sensitivity of their vehicle had been when they had hit one particular bump in the road, and all the luggage piled up next to him had fallen on him with a resounding crash. The two immortals had been sitting in the front, guiding the donkey, and had barely looked at the ensuing cursing and shouting. Sophie, sitting on the other side, had just been plain lucky to escape the falling tower of suitcases. Josh groaned. He ached all over. To make matters worse, they'd be traveling like this the rest of the whole day, until they reached their destination. Apparently Risemburg was an extremely isolated village, with only one road and had more sheep than people living there. There wouldn't be much to do. They weren't even there yet, and he already wondered if he'd die of boredom. He sighed, and wrapped his arms around his knees. "Just great," he muttered. Nothing else to do, he eventually nodded off to sleep.<p>

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><p>Sophie was tired. The cart was quite uncomfortable, though she kept that thought to herself. She was just grateful that they didn't have to walk all the way to Risemburg. Besides, there were worse ways to travel. She herself recalled a time in a Jeep while accompanying her parents on archeological digs that bounced at every pebble in the road. And if the Witch's memories were correct, traveling by camel was even worse. She looked fondly at Josh, who was currently curled up, fast asleep. Even though she was the older twin, he always insisted on acting like she was his baby-sister. He just couldn't seem to accept the fact that she was perfectly fine and could take care of herself. He had been tired and grumpy all day, so maybe he'd be in a better mood when he woke up. Sophie's mouth twitched at the recollection of the pile of luggage falling on him at the start of the journey. No matter what he had said, it was funny to see him flail around and splutter after all that baggage had fallen on him. Things had felt <em>normal<em>, like the old times, when Josh would get into some mischief or other trouble, and she could have a quiet chuckle at his expense, where they could joke about it afterwards, and smile at the memory. She shook her head. A few days was all it had taken to change all of that. A few days ago, if anyone told her she be in Germany, on the run from immortals and monsters, not to mention all over the world, she would have laughed it off and called them crazy. A few days ago, she had been working quite normally at the coffee shop she loved. Within a few days, her life had been turned upside down, and everything she knew had too. She had met vampires and goddesses, had stayed with living legends, and had fought things you'd expect to see in a movie or book- or nightmares, things that men would whisper of over a fire, in hushed tones, things unmentioned in the dark. And the people she had met… Sophie turned her head towards Nicholas and Perenelle. They too, looked tired and worn, but she wasn't sure whether it was from all that traveling, or the toll of the past few days and using their auric energy. She felt somewhat guilty. If only she and Josh had been able to take care of themselves better, then the Flamels wouldn't have had to drain their auras, and depleting life force, to protect them. She could see the cost of the magic in every stooped shoulder, every new wrinkle, every grey hair, and in those tired eyes. Without the Codex, they could not brew the Elixir of Immortality that they so needed to retain their youth and lives. They might… die. Sophie's stomach twisted at the thought. They couldn't die! Not after helping them so much! Even Josh, though he'd never admit it, cared about the well-being of the two (right?). They needed the Codex. She shook her head. It was no good dwelling on these morbid thoughts. Looking at the scenery that was slowly rolling by, she thought about their destination. Currently, all she saw were green hills and forests, occasionally seeing buildings and people. It was so peaceful and quiet, a huge contrast to the other places she and Josh had lived in. According to Nicholas, the town they'd be staying at was even more isolated. Josh had made a remark about staying in "sheep country- where the sheep have their way." She shook her head. Sometimes he just didn't make any sense. The cart rumbled on, on the lonely dirt track, and eventually the sound of rolling wheels lulled Sophie to sleep.

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><p>"We're here," announced Nicholas quietly. The twins stirred in the back. Meanwhile, Perenelle had already dismounted and was scratching the donkey's head while unharnessing him from the cart. Groggily, Sophie sat up, blinking in the dim light. "We'll be staying at an inn for tonight. We can look around and do some more exploring tomorrow," he explained to the still sleepy teen. As he talked, Josh pushed himself up and sat there, blinking owlishly like his sister previously had, then gave a huge yawn.<p>

"Whaazit? Where are we?" he mumbled. Sophie, who was more awake and clear-headed at this point, poked him in the arm. "Silly, we're at Risemburg. Wake up, sleepy-head!" Josh looked around, finally comprehending that they had arrived at their location. "Nngh… where's Perry?"

"Checking us in. You do remember our cover story, don't you?" The twins paused as they thought back. Sophie gave a nod of recognition, while Josh grunted an affirmative. As they unloaded the luggage (Josh giving a suitcase or two a spiteful kick), Flamel talked a bit about their time studying physics, first in Germany, then in America. Sophie seemed to be genuinely listening, while Josh let it become background noise. Carrying one particularly heavy suitcase (he was sure it was Sophie's; only a girl would pack that much. What _did_ she pack in there anyway? Bricks? Rocks?) he tripped and stumbled, dropping the case and his foot. Josh cursed profusely, made some rather obscene hand gestures. Suddenly, someone behind him commented, "You've got rather a potty mouth there, kid. Need some help?" Josh stopped swearing and turned around. Facing him was a young man, in his early twenties. Golden blonde hair was tied up in a ponytail. Most striking though, was his eyes. In the dim streetlight, they were a deep amber, almost golden color. _Like a wolf or owl_, Josh thought. The man chuckled. "Hasn't your mother ever taught you that staring at people is a terribly rude thing to do?" Embarrassed to be caught doing just that, Josh looked away, then suddenly looked back, a frown etched on his face.

"How come you're speaking English? And how did you know _we_ spoke English anyways?"

"Easy there, kid. I heard you guys speaking English when you arrived, so that's how. It's a small village. News like travelers tends to spread like wildfire. As you can guess, there's not much to talk about, besides the weather and sheep, so gossip tends to go around fast. As for why I can speak English, I used to live in America. Judging by your accents, that's where you come from too, no? Now, to answer my question- Do you need help with that suitcase or not?" Josh nodded, mute and overwhelmed. The guy was friendly, but Josh didn't like how he easily could tell where Josh was from. The guy grinned, not noticing the thoughts tumbling though Josh's head, hefting up the suitcase with one hand as if it was nothing. "Hallo, Hallin! Neue Mieter, ich sehe," he called out to the inn-keeper as he walked through the door. (Hello, Hallin! New lodgers, I see.") The inn-keeper (Hallin) gave a lazy wave and replied in German. They chatted a bit, while a young boy came out, yelping with delight when he saw the blond. "Hey, Kyle! Helping ihr vater, nicht wahr?" (Hey, Kyle! Helping your dad, aren't we?). After what felt like an eternity of German small talk, the blond excused himself, and turned back to Josh. "Sorry about that," he said. "I haven't been in town for awhile. So, which is your room? I'll help you drop this off." Josh just pointed out the room as they walked past, and the man dropped of the suitcase as promised. "Well then," he said, sticking his hand out, "I'll probably be seeing you around town then. Pleasure meeting you,-" "Josh," Josh answered, shaking his hand, "Likewise." The man walked away into the night, where the darkness swallowed him up, and only after he was long out of sight did Josh realize he never found out the other man's name.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> I honestly didn't mean to write out that whole "Where's Perry?" line. I was just trying to make a sleepy/suspicious/paranoid Josh, and if I was still tired I wouldn't bother saying "Perenelle". It was only afterwards did I notice it... As for Hallin and Kyle, they're the alt-universe versions of Halling and Khayal, the inn-keepers at Youswell. Yeah, I know they didn't live in Risembool, but this _is_ a different dimension.

**Another Author's Note:** So, at school we're learning about the Renaissance. Well, lo and behold, today we learned about Machiavelli and Dee! Then we had to take these stupid personality tests... apparently I'm 92% like Mach. XD


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Don't own. Wish I did.**

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><p><em>"Go have fun. Explore the town. Learn a little about physics or sheep. Don't get into any trouble. Perenelle and I have business to attend to, so we might be gone for a few days. Food and lodging have been prepaid for. Just don't blow up the town."<em>

"Don't blow up the town. For a guy centuries old, he sure has a sick sense of humor. It's not like we _try_ to destroy every place we go. That's Dee's job." Josh huffed out. Sophie shrugged, then punched her brother's shoulder.

"Not true. You're pretty destructive too. After all, it was _you_ who crashed the Hummer in the park." She didn't mention that he had done it to save them from the walking dead.

"Pff," dismissed Josh, waving his hand languidly.

They had spent the next few days just casually walking around, attempting to talk to the locals. Attempting, because no one in town the village of them spoke a word of English, and the twins didn't know any German. Nicholas and Perenelle had done all the talking when they had first arrived, but neither of them were here at the moment. The only people who spoke English was Hallin, who was busy, and that mysterious man Josh had encountered the first night there. Speaking of the strange man…. Just who _was _he? Josh had never seen again after that incident, and he had been all around the village already (not that that was hard to do.) He even had thought about asking Hallin, but decided against it. He had told Sophie about him, but she had merely brushed him off as a friendly local. But Josh had a nagging feeling that he wasn't just that, that he was _more_. But maybe he was just being paranoid. He _really_ wished that he was allowed to use his powers (not that he would, mind you. He just wanted the option), but the scent could be traced and tracked, and that would ruin the whole point of coming to Germany. He just wanted something to protect himself, and everyone else, with. At times like this, he really regretted leaving Clarent behind, but he acknowledged getting away and surviving had been more important. Shame though… he missed having the stone sword, swinging it, the weight comfortable in his hands. But it was worth it, just to make sure Sophie was safe. Even though she was older (by only a little), he had always felt like she was his little sister. Lately though, it seems like a gap had appeared, that was constantly growing. Soon, this chasm wouldn't be crossable. Josh sighed. He felt like blaming Flamel. All the trouble had started with them- the bookstore, Sophie Awakening, the Witch pouring all her memories into his baby sister... It just seemed like the whole world was against them at times like these. And this place was _boring_. He had expected Risemburg to be dull, but not _this_ dull. There was literally nothing to do.

"Hey, Josh?" Sophie's voice broke through Josh's reverie. She had walked up behind him without him noticing. He looked up.

"Hmm? Oh, it's you, Soph. What's up? Find anything to do in this boring place?" She laughed a little at his facial expression.

"Well, it _has_ been kinda boring. Um... well, you remember how Nicholas said that we were supposed to be their assistants, and they were two traveling, researching scientists, right?" Josh nodded. "Well, Nicholas was kinda explaining physics to me, and it did sound a little interesting. It's just a thought... but maybe we could do some more research and learn a little more? _Together_? It seems like we never do anything together anymore."

Josh felt his heart lift. So she had noticed too. Maybe this chasm, this gap, wasn't completely uncrossable after all. He felt his throat well up with emotion, and his voice came out a little croaky. "Sure, Soph."

She looked at him, then playfully asked, "Hey, you okay? Cause if you're coming down with something, I could go by myself..."

"No, no, I'm fine. So, what do you plan to do? It's not like they have a public library here."

"We-ell... maybe we could ask Hallin if he knows where we can get some information, since he lives here and is the only guy who can understand us."

"Don't forget the blond guy."

Sophie frowned. "Josh, I think you're obsessing over him a little too much. Besides, maybe you were hallucinating, and he wa just a figment of your crazy imagination. I didn't see him."

"Yeah, but you were talking to Flamel the whole time. If you don't believe me, just ask Halli..." Josh's voice trailed off. _Of course_. Why hadn't he thought of it sooner? Instead of fruitlessly searching the village, he could of asked Hallin about the man. They _had_ known each other, from the look of things. He turned back to his twin. "Yeah, let's go find Hallin."

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><p>The two siblings walked back through town to the local inn. They past the blond boy washing the windows (his name... the man had called him kyle, right?) and walked inside in search of the innkeeper. They eventually found him in the kitchen, stirring a big pot of what looked like stew. He looked up as they approached.<p>

"Gut afternoon, kids. Do you want some stew?" The two shook their heads. They had come for information, not food. Hallin continued stirring the pot.

"Actually, we had a few questions, if you don't mind."

"Go on."

"Well, Josh was wondering about a blond man who helped him bring in a suitcase the first night we were here, and I wanted to know if you know where I could find some information on physics." At this Hallin stopped stirring his soup. He walked over to a cabinet and removed one of those container-thingies your mom always has in the kitchen. After he found it, he brought it over and started ladling the stew into it. Josh and Sophie didn't know whether he had heard them or not. Josh decided to repeat the questions.

"Um, we were wondering if-"

"Edward."

"Huh?" Hallin looked at them, still ladling soup.

"I said, Edward. Edward Elric. He's the answer to both your questions. Ed was the one who helped Herr Josh, and he's the only one here who knows physics. He lives right out of town. Just follow the dirt road to the forest. He likes his isolation, but comes into town once and a while. Actually, he once helped save the inn, and my family, when these two hooligans tried burning us down. He single-handedly got Kyle out, then managed to somehow douse the flames. If you're going to visit him now, you might as well bring this stew to him. It's one of the only ways we can get him to consume dairy, since he despises milk." Josh took the container gingerly. It was warm, bordering on hot. While holding it, Hallin gave Sophie the rough directions to where this Edward lived. Sophie smiled.

"Thanks, Hallin." He waved a hand.

"_Nein_, frauline, the pleasure was mine. Give Ed my best regards."

"We will." As they turned around to leave, they looked back, just in time to see Hallin's stew bubble over, and hit the stove. A column of flame leapt up, searing Hallin's eyebrows.

"SHIT!"

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><p><strong>Author's note: Oh dear, oh dear... I tried, but couldn't, write a German accent. If anyone wants to give me tips, feel free to do so. Seriously. What else... oh yes, please review!<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Don't own. Must I repeat myself?.**

**Author's Note: Sorry for the long delay. Just really busy at the end of the school year, with finals, exams, papers, projects, and field trips, graduation, what-not. Pity me. Enjoy this chappie.  
><strong>

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><p>"<em>You have failed me,<em>" a voice whispered in the dark. "_I am disappointed._"

The voice spoke an archaic form of Latin that had last been used centuries before the time of Julius Caesar. "_Very disappointed_." It was impossible to tell whether the voice was male or female, and at times it even sounded as if two people could be talking together.

"_I was assured that all was in readiness… I was assured that Flamel would be captured and slain… I was assured that Perenelle would be disposed of and that the wins would be apprehended and delivered into our hands…"_

The voice trailed away.

"_And yet Flamel remains free… Perenelle in no longer imprisoned in a cell, no longer trapped on the island. The twins have escaped. And we still do not have the complete Codex. I am disappointed_," the voice in the shadows repeated.

Dee licked his suddenly dry lips. People who disappointed the Dark Elders tended to disappear. An Elder master had the power to grant human subjects immorality, but it was a gift that could be withdrawn with a single touch. Depending on how long the human had been immortal, sudden and often catastrophic old age raced through the body, centuries of time aging and destroying flesh and organs. In a matter of heartbeats, a healthy-looking human could be reduced to a pile of leathery skin and powdered bones.

"_You have failed me_," the voice repeated.

Dee was silent, fully aware that his very long life was now hanging by a thread. He was both powerful and important, but wasn't irreplaceable. The Dark Elders had other human agents they could send after Flamel and the twins. Many others.

So Dee chose his next words carefully. Otherwise, they'd be his last words.

"It won't happen again, Master."

"_No, it will not. What makes you think that I'd give you another chance? You have failed too many times already. You have failed me, and embarrassed me. I had recommended you to the other Elders, suggesting you for this task. You. Have. Failed. Why shouldn't I strike you down this very moment?"_

Dee remained silent.

"_And yet, let me suggest that all is not lost. Let me suggest that we are closer now than we have ever been. We have cause for hope. We have confirmed that the humani children are indeed the twins of legend. And we are so very close."_

_"Therefore, we will give you one more chance."_

Dee let out a breath he wasn't aware he had been holding. He'd live, for now, for a while, at least.

But the speaker, Dee's Master, wasn't finished yet.

"_One last chance, Dee. Fail this, then I will temporarily remove the gift of immortality and allow your humani body to age to its very limit… and then, at the moment before your death, I will make you immortal again._" There was a rasp that might have been a chuckle or indrawn breath. "_Think about how that will feel: your brilliant mind trapped in an ancient and feeble body, unable to see or hear clearly, unable to walk or move, in constant pain from a score of ailments. You will be forever ancient and yet undying. Fail me and this will be your destiny. I will trap you in this aged fleshy shell for eternity._"

Dee nodded, swallowed hard and then said with as much confidence as he could muster, "I will not fail you."

"_I know you won't. And to make sure that your success is ensured, I have asked an acquaintance of mine to help you in your mission as a partner._"

The unspoken message: _ If you fail, then we WILL hunt you down, and find you. You can run, but you can't hide. And when we do locate you…..This partner will be watching._

Dee was only slightly surprised. Of coure they'd want to make sure he wouldn't try to slip away. He ground his teeth toether. That would just make things slightly more complicated. However, this wouldn't be the first time he had to work with others. The Sphinx, Machiavelli, the Archon Cernunnos… but who would it this time?

"Forgive me, Master, but who exactly _is_ this person?"

_"You should know better than to question my don't you worry, he's worthy of the title as your better. Then again, he is not humani, so maybe that makes all the difference."_

_"His kind originated in a different Shadowrealm. He was trapped here due to unforeseen circumstances, as his original Shadowrealm is isolated and practically impossible to travel in or out of. He is presumable the last of his kind, as most of his fellow brothers and sisters had been killed by humani, despite their near invincibility. That's really all we know about his origins. As for his skills, we know he can regenerate instantaneously, is probably immortal, has extremely fast reflexes, and fights well enough that he could probably fight the Shadow and survive."_

Again, the unspoken word: _Find out more, and report back._

Dee bowed. "Understood. When will I meet this person?"

Shuffling, rustling sounds in the darkened room…. And from the shadows a creature stepped out into a shaft of moonlight.

There really were no words to describe it.

It was humanoid, at least. A thin frame, but one could see those lean muscles that could toss a 50 ton rock across the room like a pebble. Deathly pale skin, made paler in the silver washed out light of the moon. A strange outfit- a black leather tank-top, accompanied by matching wristbands and a- was that really a- skort?

Dee's eyes were drawn to a splash of red. A tattoo, apparently, or some kind of marking, on this being's upper left thigh. The tattoo depicted a six-pointed star, surrounded by the image of a dragon devouring its own tail, all in blood-red. Dee had dealt with enough Elders and monsters to recognize the ouroboros

Lanky hair, hued dark green, hung from the head in long spikes. Absurdly, Dee was reminded of the fronds of a palm tree. Said hair was held in place by a black hairband with a triangular marking adorning it.

But it was its (for Dee was having a hard time identifying it as a 'he', especially with that hair and outfit) face that really caught Dee's attention, that really proved that it truly _wasn't_ human. Sharp pointed face, like a knife, whose cruel features were thrown into sharper relief in the partial darkness. Wide grin, feral like a weasel's, with impossibly sharp teeth that gleamed white. Eyes, violet like amethysts, slitted pupils like a cat's, glittering with malice. An overall expression that reminded Dee of a shark- predatory, cold, and hungry. Dee could clearly see the arrogance, the sadistic qualities, the cruelty, the _bloodlust_.

Dee decided that his Master was correct- there was no way this was human. No matter how horribly self-centered and violent the humani were, they could never match the malice that made up this very creature's being.

Dee shivered, suddenly very, _truly_ afraid, the first time in centuries. Unconsciously, his aura responded to his emotions, and crackled to life around him, surrounding him in sickly bright yellow light. The smell of rotten eggs, of sulphur, permeated the room. The creature knew what effect it had on Dee (no doubt it _was_ aware) and it reveled in it, grin growing wider.

After a long, uncomfortable moment, it spoke. It's voice sent shivers up Dee's spine.

" It will be a pleasure to be working with you, Magician." It licked its extremely red tongue over its sharp, sharp teeth. "You can call me… Envy."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back with our friends in Risemburg...<p>

* * *

><p>Josh and Sophie walked together along the small dirt path. Josh was still gingerly carrying the container of stew. His eyes scanned the path ahead for any rocks or other debris he could've tripped over, and Sophie walked pensively at his side, lost in thought. She finally spoke up.<p>

"That Edward must be a really nice guy, having saved Hallin's family and all. I wonder why he lives so far from town. It can't be easy having to travel all this way, especially when you need to buy groceries and supplies and stuff." Josh shrugged, nearly spilling the stew down his shirt.

"Dunno. Maybe he's just socially awkward. Maybe he's a loner and likes the isolation. Maybe he's a complete psycho. Who really knows, besides him? I actually don't really care."

Sophie huffed. "Geez, what's eating you? It was just a train of thought."

Josh frowned. "Don't mind me. Just a bit grumpy I guess. Flamel and Perenelle drag us to the other side of the globe for our 'safety', but once here, they leave us alone to fend for ourselves. Not that I mind being away from them, but if we're here to be safe, how come they're not here? How do they _know_ that right at this moment Dee's agents aren't tracking us and hunting us down?"

Sophie was quiet for a moment, and Josh felt guilty for dumping this on her, but he needed her to see that the Flamels couldn't be trusted. But when she replied, she did it angrily, surprising Josh.

"Maybe they're searching for a teacher for us, or trying to throw Dee off our tracks, or sticking their necks out in thousands of other ways for us, putting their lives in danger. Their dying, Josh, _dying_! They could be going after the Codex, and renewing their life force, if they weren't worried for us.. Why can't you see they've been trying to help us, only trying to help us? Stop focusing on yourself and your paranoia, and try to be thankful!"

Josh was shocked. He had never seen his twin so angry. She was always the polite, mild-mannered one, who was never angry, never rash, who always thought before doing anything. To see her so angry...

A flood of guilt washed over Josh like a tidal wave. Sophie must have been carrying all of that for days, on her mind. She was his sister, and he was supposed to protect her, take care of her. But no, he had been too preoccupied to notice how bothered she was. And that was simply inexcusable.

And yet...

he _couldn't_ let it go, _couldn't_ be thankful. The Flamels had done too much, caused too much damage. Yes, they had helped them, but only in their favor. He didn't want them to die, but he couldn't forgive them. But it made Sophie unhappy when he tried to explain his feelings.

So he lied.

He smiled with his teeth and nodded and agreed. Yes, yes, he saw it now, of course, silly him. And Sophie was happy and they continued through the woods, and didn't bring up this topic again.

* * *

><p>Dee was talking on the phone, trying to find the whereabouts of the Flamels and the twins. He could sense the creature staring at his back, and couldn't get rid of the feeling that it was amused and would back stab him if allowed. Gulp. Unnerved as he was, he focused on the task at hand.<p>

"So they bought plane tickets to Germany, yes I understand that, of course, but they obviously have moved on already. No, _obviously_ they would have left, yes, see if you can track them. Gods, are you dense?" Dee hung up.

The creature...Envy...snorted. "Humans usually are. Nevertheless, they have their uses."

Dee started at its voice. "We'll be going to Germany, then."

"Germany, huh. Oh, the irony..."

Dee looked at Envy questionably, but it didn't elaborate. So Dee went for the whole "ask outright" approach.

"Pardon me, but why would this be ironic?"

Envy rolled its eyes. "Info-fishing for your master? Oh, what the hell. It's not like you could do much with this anyway."

"I first came to this _Shadowrealm_ in about 1923. The Gate led directly to Germany. Unfortunately, I was temporarily handicapped, and powerless. Got stuck there, captured by humans. Met an old, friend, got my revenge. Left Germany afterwards, haven't been there since. It's just ironic that we should be going there, that's all. Nevertheless, I believe this is where my knowledge of the country comes into play. I lived in a place very similar in my world. We'll find your victims soon."

Dee found his curiosity piqued by the small story. Just who was the Envy character?

"What are you?"

Aw, crap. He hadn't meant to say that out loud.

Envy gave him an amused looked. He shook his head.

"You know my background already, don't you? I am what was known in my Shadowrealm as a Homunculus."

Dee thought about this for a moment.

"So you're a... I was under the impression that homunculi were diminutive human beings made by alchemy, usually through methods involving a flask and several chemical reactions."

Envy bared his teeth, and grimaced. "Partly correct. From where I come from, homunculi _are_ made via alchemy, but we are not human, but superior beings. As for diminutive... do I look like a dwarf? No, I don't think so. The creation methods vary, from creating a body with alchemy, to a failed resurrection or human transmutation, to using a human as a base body. Usually we consume souls through fragments of what is known as a Philosopher's Stone, though if needed we can get our nutrients from a substance known as Red Stones." He smiled wickedly. "I'm afriad now that I've told you, I'm gonna have to kill you."

Dee wasn't sure whether or not Envy was joking. Probably was, since he wasn't, _shouldn't_, allowed to be killed. Yet. They still had a mission.

Change of topic, or a return to one.

"We should head out to Germany then. How are you planning to get there? Do you need me to-?"

Envy hissed. "The day I need a human to help me is the day I die. I'll be there, don't you worry. You take care of yourself. We wouldn't want to make Master angry now, would we?" Obviously, it was amused by Dee's punishment if they were to fail. "I'll meet you Munich." Saying that, it left.

Dee stared at where the Homunculus had been sitting, and shivered slightly. Fascinating, sure... but Dee felt that working with Envy could be the most dangerous thing he had ever done.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Might be another while before I can post again. I'd like to credit Michael Scott for majority of the scene between Dee and his Master. All I did was twist it slightly. If anyone wants to know, I took it form page 24 to 27 of <em>Sorceress<em>. **

**So, how was it? Comments, complaints? I'd love to know what you guys think. Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** Sorry for not updating in... a long time (too lazy to count how many days). An enormous case of writer's block fell on my head. And I got sidetracked by Hetalia, then -Man, then Baccano!, then Durarara!... (btw, they're all very good, so check them all out)

**Disclaimer:** Seriously, do I have to do this every single chapter? No, I don't own Secrets, nor do I own FMA. If I owned either, I'd be a pretty rich high-schooler.

* * *

><p>They had walked in silence the rest of the way. Eventually, the path led them to a clearing. The imposing trees of the forest fringed the grassy meadow, which was illuminated with sunlight. It was one of those clearings where you'd expect fairies and butterflies to flit around, with little gnomes living in mushroom houses and a babbling brook bubbling away. It was the kind of clearing where the princess meets the nice, old dwarfs in the straw-thatched cottage.<p>

Alas, that was not the case.

Instead, a surprisingly normal house stood in the middle of the field. This was way weirder than it sounded.

It wasn't a little cottage with a thatched roof, as the environment demanded. It wasn't even one of the small houses in town. It was if some giant hand had randomly grabbed a house off the ground from an American suburb, and had deposited said house here.

It was an extremely bizarre sight.

The house itself, as stated previously, was quite normal looking. It had a grey, shingled roof and was painted a bright cheery yellow, with white trim. There was a small garden with some random flowers- roses, tulips, daisies. A nice cozy little porch in the front, with a rocking chair, of all things, rocking gently back in forth in the small breeze, as if an invisible nanny was sitting on it.

Piano music, haunting and sad, drifted from a slightly ajar white door, jerking tears to their eyes.

Sophie walked up to the house. Josh followed suit. The music continued to spill out from the open door in a beautiful cascade of emotion. It was heart-wrenching, speaking of loss and regret. Josh was reminded of all the sad moments in his life- the time his dog had died, or when his grandma had passed away. All those times they had move to a new location, leaving friends behind.

Then the music changed into something lighter, happier, with hope intermingled into the strands of melody. Josh thought of his family and friends. True, he had left them when they had moved, but he always stayed in contact and made new friends. He reminisced of family gatherings, of his parents, his Aunt Agnes, of all the good times he spent with his sister.

With a final crescendo the song ended, only to be followed by a huge crash.

Sophie was the first to speak in the odd, ensuing silence.

"What just happened?"

* * *

><p>She cleared her throat, walking onto the porch, trying to see past the open door into the dim house.<p>

"Uh, hello? Mr. Elric?"

There was a muffled reply.

Sophie awkwardly continued speaking.

"Erm, well, Mr. Halling sent us here?" Somehow, she had turned that statement into a question.

Another muffled reply.

The two twins looked at each other. Then, they looked at the semi-ajar door. They looked at each other again. As one, they entered the house.

* * *

><p>Books.<p>

Their first impression of the house was one of overwhelming books.

They were _everywhere_.

Books on the table. Books on the floor. Books balanced precariously on top of each other. Books stacked on chairs. Opened books, closed books. Big books, little books, fat books, thin books. Paperbacks and hardcovers alike were scattered throughout the mess of a room. Languages varied from English to (probably) German to even Asian-looking languages such as Chinese and Japanese. There were books on a wide variety of topics that ranged from physics to chemistry to biology to home self-repairs and gardening and cooking. Sophie even swore she saw a copy of _Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone_ buried somewhere in the mess, never to see daylight again. They waded through the sea of books that flooded the house.

The whole time, Josh was _still_ carrying that annoying container of stew.

Eventually, they wandered into the room with a piano. It was a beautiful baby-grand, fit for any maestro. Black as (midnight? Nah, not very black. Sin? That's debatable. Treacle? Dunno, never seen treacle. Asphalt? Well, that's more blueish. Something black….). Well. Black as darkness without light, with ivory keys that were a soft creamy white from gentle caress of time. Someone, probably Mr. Elric, obviously loved it very much and kept it well maintained. It was polished to the point where it _gleamed_.

The books had invaded this room too (although they stayed a clear distance away from the piano).

And they were obviously a cause of distress.

A huge pile of collapsed books spilled across the floor. Muffled cries, much louder now, were heard originating from the pile.

Realization hit the twins at the same time. Josh carefully put the stew down (with considerable relief) on a table, while Sophie quickly rushed over to the pile of disaster. Josh rushed to join her. They each grabbed a book.

"My God!" Sophie cried out. "He's buried alive!"

* * *

><p>Five minutes later…<p>

A very bemused Edward Elric dusted himself off. He bowed to the twins.

"_Danke_ for helping me out. I thought for a moment that I was going to die." His mouth twitched, as if laughing at some private joke. "I really do need to clean these books up, but never seem to have the time. Name's Edward Elric, but I'm guessing that you already know that."

Sophie and Josh stared at the previously buried man (could they call him that? He didn't look _that_ old, only in his early twenties) with interest. He was slightly under the average height. Like Josh had informed Sophie, he had brilliant gold eyes. His hair had become slightly messy due to the fall of books, and some of his hair had escaped its previous confinement withing the ponytail. He was wearing black jeans and a red T-shirt, with a black logo depicting a snake on a cross topped off with a winged crown on one of the sleeves.

Edward continued speaking. "I have a feeling that you guys came here for something. Why don't you wait in the living room while I get some refreshments?" The siblings nodded.

They followed the guy through a couple more rooms (again, do we need to mention the amount of books? It was overwhelming.). Finally, they arrived at a room that, amazingly, was somewhat free enough of books to look neat. Their host gestured at the sofa. "Make yourselves at home. I'll just get the drinks. I've got Coke, Sprite..."

"A Coke is fine for both of us," Sophie answered smoothly. Edward nodded and left the room.

Meanwhile, Josh was inspecting the room. On the wall, was an interesting piece of metal work that happened to mirror the logo on Edward's shirt. A serpent entwined around a cross, under a crown adorned with wings. On the coffee table were some old photos, of Ed and another boy (maybe his brother? They looked enough like each other), arms slung around each other, faces beaming towards the camera. The edges were all yellowed, and they were black-and white. Josh thought it was extremely odd that there were such old photos, but maybe that's how they were supposed to look, like maybe a special effect or something.

Elric came in, precariously gripping three cans of Coke at once. He set them down on the coffee table, and looked up, noticing Josh studying the photos. He nodded at the boy in the photo.

"That's my younger _bruder_, Alfonse."

Younger? Josh could've sworn it was the other way around. That kid was way taller in the photo, for God's sake!

"He studied in Munich with me for a while."

"Ah... that's great. How's he now? What's he studying?"

Elric froze a bit, then stiffly said, "He died, a couple of years ago, from an accident."

Josh's face looked a bit stricken. Sophie felt the same. "I'm sorry."

Elric shook his head. "Don't be. It was a pretty long time ago." He ducked his head a bit, and the twins had to strain their ears to hear him, "Besides, my memories of him are still with me. As long as I don't forget him, he'll always be with me. The dead will stay dead, and it's the job of the living not only to mourn them, but to celebrate the life they lived."

An awkward silence filled the room. There wasn't much to say, small-talk wise, after that.

The German was the first to break the tense atmosphere. "I do believe you came here for a reason?"

Sophie quickly nodded. "We were wondering if could find some info on physics. We're here as assistants to Dr. and Dr. Fleming, but we actually don't know much about the topic. Halling told us to come to Mr. Elric's place for info."

Elric nodded. "First of all, he's right. I studied majored in physics, along with chemistry, back at the university. Second, you could say my house is the unofficial library of this village. Thirdly, call me Ed. Elric makes me feel like old, and Edward makes it sound like you want to kill me."

The twins weren't so sure about the joke. They laughed a bit uncertainly."Well, okay then, Ed."

"I don't have much to do during the summer, so if you'd like to come everyday, I could give you a crash course in this science."

Josh wanted to cheer. This was going to be easy! Then, Ed held us his hand.

"Wait. Before you say anything, you first have to do something for me. In return for these lessons, how about you help clean my house for me? You don't have to do it in one day, gradually over the summer is fine with me too. A favor for a favor, _ja_? That is Equivalent Exchange." His eyes glinted.

Equivalent Exchange? Josh eyed the room wearily. He had_ seen_ the house, seen what those books could do. This mess would be even harder to clean then his own room!

Sophie gulped a bit. Cleaning this house seemed a bit... dangerous. But they needed to know about physics to keep their cover. She bravely nodded. "We'll do it."

Ed nodded in return and stood up. He held out his hand. "_Wunderbar_.Then it is a deal. I'll see you tomorrow, and we can start then." He and Sophie shook hands. That done, he relaxed a grinned. "_Danke_. I really needed to organize this place up, but this should help loads. _Bitte_ give my appreciation to _Herr_ Halling."

Thus said, the twins headed back to the village.

* * *

><p>"You're right," commented Sophie.<p>

"Huh?" Josh replied absently. He had been thinking about their meeting with Ed.

"I said, you're right. There's something slightly abnormal about him. He's definitely not a 'normal' human, that's for sure."

"Like you're one to judge" her brother teased. Then, he said, "But I'm glad you see what I meant. Still, I trust him. I don't know why, I just do. I was surprised to hear about his brother though. It must've been horrible, since they looked like they were really close."

The two of them fell silent, contemplating a life without the other. It was almost unthinkabe.

"We were really lucky to have a scientist in this village who studied physics."

Sophie nodded. "Regular science, huh? It seems like ages we studied anything 'normal'. It's all been Magic and sword-play and fighting these past two weeks. I've almost forgotten what normal learning feels like. It seems so surreal, like it's a joke, you know?"

Her brother shrugged. "Surrealism isn't a joke, either. Who's to say which 'reality' is the dominant one? Still, I'm kinda looking forward to tomorrow. Imagine Flamel's face when he comes back and realizes that we've learned loads while they were gone. That'd be a real surprise to them."

Sophie nodded. They continued on back to their lodgings for the night.

* * *

><p>Edward Elric, child-prodigy, ex-military personal, who once was known throughout Amestris as the 'Hero of the People', stood on his porch, looking at the path the twins took back to the village. Something about them had brought back memories he had not thought about in a long time, memories he had kept suppressed.<p>

He sighed. "I miss you, Al." He said to the empty air. "It's been difficult, these 70 years you've been gone. I wonder how you are, sometimes, and if you're with mom and dad right now."

"I don't know why, but those two kinda remind me of us when we were younger. Those were sure our glory days, weren't they? The 'Fullmetal Alchemist" and his huge younger brother, tromping through the country on many adventures. They've got the same feel, the same expressions on their face. I feel like if you were here, you'd already be helping them as much as possible. But since you're not, I guess I'll have to do it for you."

The blond looked past the path, into the far distance, as if he could sense the turbulent times that were coming ahead. As the sun sank beneath the trees, he turned around and went back into the house.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> I love how I can criticize my work, and see all the flaws, but could do nothing to fix those. I have a feeling that if anyone bothers to read this, I'm gonna get flamed for killing Al off... btw, I'll explain his death in future chapters.

Sorry for not updating in four months. Laziness just got the better of me.

But I'll update faster if you review. You review, and I update faster. That is Equivalent Exchange, ja?


	7. Chapter 7

Hey everyone! Like I promised, here's another chapter, only slightly after one week (which is still shorter than four months XD)

Thank you all for your lovely review. Nothing perks up the self-confindence like other people commenting on your writing you know.

I'll take all your suggestions into account. To everyone else, criticism and opinions are just as important as flattery. I'll go nowhere as a writer if you guys don't tell me where I need to improve.

To Maddy-Neko, this chapter is over 5000 words long. This is double the amount I usually type up (which is why its a little late, sorry). Hope this satisfies you. And the stew. Has now been eaten.

Other shoutouts to S.N. Rainsworth, Anquitil, Kenshen El, FullmetalDemon, and Animals of the Night for their reviews and comments.

And now taking GaBeRock 's advice, here is the disclaimer, which you will never see again:

"_I don't own FMA or Secrets. The chances of that changing are infinitesimal. I will not make this disclaimer again." _Word for word. Thanks a bunch, GaBeRock!

Now enjoy this new chappie!

* * *

><p><em>It had started as a normal enough day. He and Al were in the kitchen, discussing their plans for going to America. Noah had departed months ago, determined to find her own way of living. The boys wanted to leave Germany before things got too ugly. There was a type of tension in the air that they had not felt since they left Amestris, since Ed worked with the military. There was a war brewing, and it was coming soon. <em>

_The political party known as the Nazis was rapidly gaining power. They made Ed feel nauseous, with their discrimination of Jews and their brainwashing of the public. It reminded him how corrupt the government and military had been before they came to this world. It reminded him of a political system so corrupt, they could mutate a little girl and not even bat an eye at it. He hated it. He hated the racism against the Jews, for it reminded him of the Ishvalens, and Scar and the others they had later met, and how they were treated._

_That was part of the reason why the brothers decided to go to America. That was a land of opportunities and freedom, and hopefully they could leave before things started to get out of hand. Or at least that's what they thought._

_It was a warm morning, and sunlight was streaming through the open window, which also let a warm breeze in. The two of them were eating breakfast- some kind of porridge, with obviously no milk for Ed. Despite his hatred of the drink, he still had managed to grow a bit over the many months they've been here. _

_And then suddenly, the world was turned upside down._

_An explosive force threw the boys off their seats and demolished the house walls. Lights flashed, and smoke was everywhere. Ed lay in the middle of the rubble, barely conscious. His automail was badly damaged, and he was in a great deal of pain._

_Alchemical energy crackled around his body, healing the wounds. Ed's eyes shot open. If the Stone was needed to heal his body, how bad was the damage? Then what about-_

_He scrambled up quickly, ignoring the ongoing healing, and looked around. His eyes fell upon the deathly still and bloodied body of his younger brother._

"_Alphonse? Al? AL? AL!"_

Ed shot out of bed, drenched in sweat, gripping the sheets tightly. It was _that_ dream, _that_ memory, again. He sighed, and settled back into bed. He hadn't thought about that day in _ages_, but those two kids yesterday had dredged up suppressed memories. That day, he should've died along with his brother. The doctors said that a piece of shrapnel had pierced his heart, killing him instantly.

"He would've died quickly and painlessly," the doctor had said, consoling him. It didn't work, and the ache that was left behind still felt very raw to this very day.

After the funeral, he ended up traveling around the world, never really settling down in one place. He never did get to go to America, for it didn't feel right, going there after Al had died. But he had learned some interesting things and met some interesting….. people, before returning to Germany. Seven years ago, he had settled in this village that reminded him so much of Risembool, of his old home.

It was easy to make a living here. Along with a master's degree in physics and chemistry (oh, come _on_, that was too easy, it was practically this world's equivalent to alchemy), he also had studied medicine and stuff. So basically, he was the unofficial doctor and scientist in this area, along with supplying the villagers books and knowledge when necessary. He was also one of the few people in this small town to have actual internet connection and a computer, along with a telephone. A small town such as Risemburg didn't need much technology, and it was pretty secluded and self-supporting, only rarely needing supplies from beyond the village boundaries.

Somehow, his mind managed to wander back to the two twins that had visited yesterday. Through all his years and adventures, if there was one thing Ed had learned, it was how to sense the atmosphere and mood of people. These siblings were….. _different_. They excluded an aura unlike most people. In fact, they kind of reminded him of certain "people" he had met in his travels. They had felt anxious and stressed, along with haunted and tense. As if they were running away, with danger chasing them.

Not unlike the Elric brothers, in fact.

Birds chirped outside his bedroom window, and sunlight made the room extremely bright. He watched the dust motes get illuminated by a shaft of sunlight, spinning and dancing through the air, each ablaze with fire.

Ed got up. There really was no more point in staying in bed, at this time, and he wasn't about to fall asleep any time soon. His stomach rumbled, and he grimaced. Plus, he was _really_ hungry for some breakfast right now.

He got up, and slipped on one of his many red T-shirts. The wonders of modern technology… thanks to some experimentation, Ed was able to transmute a complex latex-like substance, which he wore as some kind of arm-glove over the automail. The benefits of this were that it disguised the automail, and the texture was enough that it looked and felt like a normal arm, albeit a little bit harder. This way, he actually looked a lot more normal and didn't draw more attention to himself than necessary. It was too much of a hassle to make another one for his leg, however, so he stuck with wearing long pants.

Now dressed, the blonde stomped down the stairs on a desperate quest for breakfast. First stop, the kitchen.

He opened his fridge, and frowned in disappointment. _Nothing_. Well, nothing he'd like to eat, anyway. Some cruel soul had decided to stockpile his fridge with dairy products. That meant lots of evil, white liquid, and its just-as-evil by-products. (Ed made a mental note not to let the kind lady down the road near his fridge ever again. Apparently she held some sort of grudge against him). But didn't the twins yesterday bring…. Could it be…. Wonderful, wonderful stew with them? Ed made a mental air punch of victory as he exited the kitchen. Now, where could it be?

He expertly maneuvered himself through the maze of books, searching all the rooms, 'till he entered the piano room. [insert spotlight here, along with the chorus sound effects]There, his breakfast awaited him.

[TIME SKIP]

He hummed as the stew warmed on the stove. Normally he wouldn't consider it a breakfast food, but it was better than the bread he could transmute with grass, and Truth forbid _milk_ being the better alternative.

Stew consumed, he left the dirty bowls in the sink, and wandered to the back of the house.

No one who had once known him would've ever guessed, but Ed liked to paint.

Painting, along with piano-playing, was a skill that Edward had come to hone after World War II. The two were closely linked- painting was a way for Ed to put his memories down on canvas, and music was a way for him to express the emotion of those memories in a way mere words never could. In addition, artistic skills were a challenge that Ed had come to relish. Science and linguistics were easy enough for him to learn, him being a child-prodigy and all. But art was different. You couldn't just memorize or apply a formula to make a truly well-done piece of art. You had to improve at it, apply _emotion_ to it.

At first Ed had been apprehensive about this. It was too different, too open, too emotional for him to handle. Stick with straight facts and formulas, and you'll be safe. He excelled with research and data. But it was too easy. He needed something else to do. So he had started drawing, and took piano lessons. Decades later, and his skills were as good as they'd ever be, but that was the thing about art. There was always room for improvement. It could evolve and change. Maybe one day he'd decide to completely change his style, and start from scratch. In this way, art gave him a thrill that science and alchemy never could. Yes, he still loved alchemy and still loved the excitement that came with it. That would never change. But he also enjoyed art.

He settled comfortably in his chair and picked up from where he last left off. He sometimes applied science here too, for maximum effect. It helped him greatly when calculating perspective, and how far lighting and shading should go, or when he needed exactly the _right_ ratio of pigments for a color he desired. Sometimes, he just threw all thoughts of science out of the window. That was why art was so freeing, so liberating. You could do anything you wanted.

The scene he was painting was a familiar one, one that haunted his nightmares and subconscious all too much. The Gate of Truth, and the strange entity who called himself Truth that stood watch over it. Really, could ever forget such a thing? The intimidating presence of the Gate, the haunting, creepily childish voice of Truth, it was maddening. So Ed applied it to canvas as if doing so could drain the very memories out of his head. It didn't work, or course, but it sure helped him cope.

Soon Ed was in his own little world, with nothing but the memories in his head and the image in front of him. Time quickly fled past.

Someone behind him coughed, and Ed whirled around in alarm. He had been so preoccupied with painting that he hadn't even noticed the twins arrive. The girl –didn't her brother call her Sophie?- looked embarrassed, as if she was intruding on something personal, which she kind of was.

Josh didn't know why this felt so awkward, but it did. He and his sister had come up to the house for today's little 'tutoring session', but there had been no sign of Elr- ahem, Ed. Sophie had panicked, thinking that the German had somehow died a death-by-books. He snorted, imagining the headlines of a newspaper (Did Risemburg even _have_ a newspaper?). "**LOCAL SCIENTIST DIES BURIED ALIVE BY BOOKS**". Don't attract attention to yourself, indeed. So she had run into the house (the door was still unlocked), frantically searching through the messy, messy rooms (how in the world _were_ they going to clean this place up?), until they had stumbled upon this private little alcove. Before them, Ed painted away, humming under his breath.

_So where do we go from here?_

_And how to forget and forgive?_

_What's gone is forever lost…._

_Now all we can do is live._

It had a pretty melody, actually, but was quite melancholy (a melancholy melody- has a nice ring to it), much like his piano playing the other day. Josh's eyes scanned the paintings that were propped all around the room. One depicted a young boy strapped with wings, soaring above an open ocean. The boy's eyes were a brilliant gold color, along with his hair. His face was beaming with pride, but unbeknownst to him, a few feathers were already drifting lazily away into the hungry sea.

Josh's attention drifted to another painting, and was immediately struck by a pair of fierce, fiery eyes. There was a somewhat Asian-looking man, black hair slicked with sweat, narrowed eyes glaring at the viewer. He was decked out in an elaborate blue military uniform. The teenager tilted his head in puzzlement. He recognized the rank from the stars on the man's shoulders (which was Colonel, oddly enough), thanks to the knowledge given to him by Mars Ultor, but the uniform was unlike one he had ever seen before. Flames whirled around this painted man, but they didn't seem to burn him. On the contrary, they seemed to be dancing _around_ him, a personal whirlwind of Hell's fire, spiraling from outstretched hands. Josh blinked. Was that… Fire Magyk? He glanced at the oblivious Ed, and then peered closer at the painting. No, not quite… Rather, the flames seemed to originate from a spark between the snapped fingers of Fire Man's hands, which wore gloves. Looking harder, those gloves seemed to be inscribed with some sort of symbol that seemed vaguely familiar. Blue eyes frowned, studying the painting, before flicking up to glance at the braided golden head. Nah…. Just a coincidence. Probably just Ed using his imagination and painting something fantasy-like. He couldn't possibly know about the specifics of Fire Magyk.

Other paintings filled the room. There were many portraits of people in action, and a majority of them were decked out in that blue military uniform. In one, a woman with blonde hair pulled back into a bun and wine-colored eyes stared down the barrel of a gun pointed directly at the viewer. Her eyes, however, were sparkling, and her mouth was graced with a half-smile. A huge antiquated suit of armor starred in another. Other pictures seemed to display battle scenes, using the same people. One painting had Fire-Man duking it out with a woman dressed in black with the biggest boobs Josh had ever seen. Scarily, the woman's eyes seemed to be glowing purple, and her fingernails were frickin'ly long and sharp. Meanwhile, someone wearing the previous suit of armor was standing back to back with Gun-Woman, fighting these weird white zombies. A kid surrounded by shadows and tentacles, ninjas, and tanks only added to the surrealism. A vague figure in red was surrounded by blue electricity in front of a smudged blob. Considering how detailed the painting was, and how intricate said details were, Josh doubted that that was an accident.

The next painting Josh looked at was the one Ed was currently working on. He peeked over the painter's shoulder, and received a nasty jolt of shock. The image was stark blacks and whites, with some grey. It had an almost barbaric feel to it- No, barbaric wasn't the right word. A better word to describe the feeling Josh was feeling would be _primeval_. This picture was describing something that went beyond mere humans and their petty battles, something that transcended time and space. This was raw, powerful, _alive_.

The first thing the eye was drawn to was a huge door-like structure that seemed to dominate space. It was a looming structure, painted in various shades of grey. The frame of this "Door" was inscribed with various screaming faces, each the very picture of agony. Other small carvings depicted various beasts, talons and fangs flashing. There was an aura (no, not the type of aura that he and Sophie had. You know, a normal kind of aura) of despair to it, and the very shadows around the structure seemed to be writhing. Josh immediately knew in his heart this was the smudged blob in Ed's other painting.

If you looked long enough, however, then your eyes would eventually be drawn to an area that drew your attention because of what appeared to be an empty void, as if your gaze could fill the hungry vacuum. And if you stared long enough, you'd notice it didn't seem so much as an empty void as it seemed to form some sort of negative image- as if there was something there, but the picture had been inverted. Words trying to describe it had failed, for words cannot be applied to something that really didn't make any sense.

Some being of white filled the space between the shadows, crouching in front of the door. All that was seen of this white silhouette was a dismembered floating grin, impossibly wide and mocking, much in the style of the Cheshire Cat. It radiated a type of sadistic maliciousness, and gave Josh the chills. He tore his eyes away, and shuddered a bit. Werewolves, vampires, and prehistoric dragon-things be damned, this was way creepier than any of the monsters they had encountered so far, and probably more dangerous.

Sophie coughed politely. Josh jumped, not expecting it, still a bit freaked out from the painting. Ed, however, had spun around in shock, eyes slightly mad and frenzied. Josh unconsciously took a step back. Then Ed's eyes finally settled on them, and those golden eyes lit up in recognition, and he calmed down.

"Ah… it's you two. Sorry, didn't notice you coming in."

No duh.

He shifted a bit, and the atmosphere was filled with awkward silence. Ed was acting embarrassed, like a kid caught trying to sing. Josh couldn't really understand shy. These paintings were _amazing_. Granted, they were a bit unsettling to look at, but rather than tarnishing its brilliancy, it just added to it.

Sophie, however, seemed to understand. She nervously cleared her throat, and then spoke up.

"Ah, we'll just, um, wait for you in the living room then?"

Ed looked extremely grateful and relieved, and nodded. "_Danke_. I'll be there in a bit. Just have to clean up, _ja_?"

The twins bobbed their heads, feeling a bit flustered. This room felt intimate, as if no one but Ed was supposed to know about it. So the twins didn't so much leave as slowly flee with dignity, glad to get out of the oppressive atmosphere.

Ed slowly stood up, and mechanically started cleaning up the area, putting brushes and paints away. He cursed himself for becoming so immersed in his work. It couldn't be helped, though. Hopefully the two would just think of the paintings as scenes from his imagination, instead of events that really happened. Normally, he wouldn't be worried about people mistaking these paintings as reality, but as he said before, these two were quite different. He sighed. It was time to face the crowd.

He found the two in the sitting room again. The boy was pacing, while the girl fidgeted on the couch. He braced himself a bit, and then pushed open the door. The two siblings immediately looked up. Josh stopped pacing.

"Sorry for making you wait," Ed apologized. Sophie quickly dismissed it.

"No, no, it's okay! It's not like we told you when we'd be coming or anything, so we were kinda intruding anyway. And you already are doing us a great favor by teaching us, and stuff…." She trailed off. Her brother took over from there.

"Dude, your paintings were amazing! You seriously got some mad art skillz. Plus the fact that you speak really good English." He paused, and then sent a questioning look at Ed, who mentally sighed. More explanations were in order, it seemed.

"Your compliments are accepted, but it was really only through hard work that I achieved that ability. As for _mein_ English…" His voice trailed off a bit, then strengthened in volume. "_Mein bruder_ and I had originally been planning to move to America, so we studied English before we left. However, Al died before we could leave, so I never did end up moving to America, though I did continue to improve at _mein_ language skills."

The two were silent, Sophie shuffling her feet, embarrassed at touching upon what she perceived as a delicate subject, and Josh filing away the fact that Ed's deceased brother's name was Al.

Ed then straightened up. "Now, we said you're here to learn physics, right?"

The two nodded uncertainly. Ed smirked. "But before you do that…"

* * *

><p>Josh wiped the sweat off his brows. This was ridiculous. It was impossible. And it was deadly.<p>

They were set to work with their task of cleaning the house before the lessons, but Josh secretly suspected Ed trying to kill them. Why else would he charge them with such a task? Everyone moment spent trying to overcome teetering piles of books was a moment of possible death. True, they only had to clean one room today, but _still_.

Sophie had found a clean scarf, which she had tied over her nose and mouth. Josh wondered if he should do the same. The dust was enough to give anyone with dust allergies a heart attack.

But the biggest problems were the books. Even if they organized the books,, where the Hell would they place them? The best they could do is straighten them up and pile them on the same table, and pray that they wouldn't be crushed to death in the process. He recalled the headlines he had thought up of earlier that day, and modified them a bit. "**VISITING TWINS CRUSHED TO DEATH BY DICTIONARIES**".

Sophie gasped. Josh looked over, concerned. Even though he was the younger twin, he had always considered Sophie his 'little sister', so he had always tried to look out for her.

"Hey, Soph, you 'kay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," was Sophie's shaky reply. He looked at her, but her back was to him. She was standing over a somewhat-cleared but incredibly dusty desk, a broom clutched in one hand.

Josh shrugged. Nothing seemed wrong, so he went back to work. He never noticed his sister slipping a piece of paper into her pocket.

* * *

><p>The most sadistic man in the world stood in the doorway.<p>

Ed surveyed the room. "Not bad, not bad at all," he said, though whether it was to himself or for the siblings' benefit was unclear.

The books, which had once been all over the place, were now all stacked neatly in different piles. Various documents and newspaper clippings were in separate folders. The once dusty room had undergone some drastic changes.

The two tired workers lay on the ground, wheezing and panting from exhaustion.

Josh wiped his sweaty brow, and then looked up at Ed.

"So are we done yet?"

Ed offered his hand to Josh, then helped him up. He did the same for Sophie.

"Yup. You guys deserve a break. I'll bring along some refreshments, and you guys just rest."

He left the room.

Josh flopped back onto the ground. 'Geez, I hope we don't have to do this for every lesson. Or at least that not every room was like this one."

Sophie sat down next to him, legs outstretched. She shifted her weight a bit then said, "I agree. This place makes your room look positively neat. How did he survive so long with a place like this?"

"My question is how in the world did he accumulate so much books and dust?"

Sophie looked away. "I have an idea," she said softly, "but I'll tell you back at the inn."

Before her brother could ask her to explain further, Ed reentered the room, bearing a tray full of iced drinks. "Good job, guys. You just rest up. When you're ready, I'll be in the living room."

The two of them gratefully accepted the drinks. Sprawled on the ground, they looked like something the cat might've brought in. After the refreshments, however, they felt revitalized.

Getting up, they found Ed in his room like he promised. Several textbooks were spread out around him. He gestured to the chairs next to him.

"So what do you know about physics?" He asked. Sophie and Josh shifted a bit.

"Well, we're in high school, and don't learn physics until next year, but our parents thought we should get ahead, so they sent us off for the summer with their friends the Flemmings…."

Technically it wasn't a lie. At school, the freshmen studied Biology. Then, the next year, the sophomores (which they were) would study chemistry, and it wasn't until junior year that they could take physics. In addition, it was true that the Newmans were always telling their children that they should get ahead and study things ahead of time.

Ed sighed. Looked like he was going to have to start from scratch then. No matter, they did help clean up his study room.

"Get ahead? Oh, you'll get ahead all right. By the time I'm done with you you'll know rocket-science leveled physics!

(line break)

The duo trudged home, both mentally and physically exhausted.

"Bleh… I'm sore all over. This is worse than the time Scathatch was teaching me how to use Clarent."

Sophie winced. "That bad, huh? Though I'm starving as well, almost as if we took three consecutive leygates."

Her brother shuddered. "I'm hungry too. Let's go back to the inn and order some food."

Halfway there, however, they received a surprise.

Standing on the path was Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel.

Nicholas was currently wheezing. He definitely was getting too old for this.

"We returned to town to find you guys gone. The innkeeper said that you might be at this Elric guy's house, and pointed us in this direction. What have you two been doing?"

Josh ignored the question. "What are you doing back here so soon? I thought you'd be gone for at least a few days longer!"

Perenelle caught up to her husband. Although her hair was just as grey as Nicholas, she didn't seem the least bit winded.

"We just went to a few old haunts to gather some notes and information. Everything was exactly where it should be, and we encountered no monsters or immortals, so we finished up without a problem. In fact, we weren't planning on finishing so soon."

"The village is still intact, I see," Nicholas commented wryly. Sophie rolled her eyes. Josh just clenched his fists and kept silent.

"We were going back to the inn for some food," Sophie explained.

"Then you can inform us what you've been up to for the past few days then," Perenelle replied.

Josh wanted to groan. They just got back and were already nagging at them! Geez, why couldn't they have some peace?

So the group (Quadrio? Quartet?) tromped back to the inn. Josh's initial enthusiastic mood had twisted into something else. He stared moodily at the ground the whole way back, and everyone was silent, wrapped up in their own thoughts.

Halling greeted them at the inn door.

"I see you found them," he addressed the Flamels. He then turned to the twins. "How was Edward anyway? Did he help at all?"

"Oh, yes," Sophie replied with a bright smile. "He taught us loads. My head feels so crammed!"

Halling smiled back. "That is _gut_. Would you like a chicken dinner tonight to celebrate?"

Josh moaned. "Any food would be wonderful right now."

Halling laughed and promised to whip something up pretty soon. Then the group returned to their rooms.

"So why exactly were you two way out in the woods?"

Josh flopped into an armchair, while Sophie plopped herself onto the bed. The two adults seemed to prefer standing.

"We were just learning physics, you know, just to strengthen our cover," Sophie explained. Josh stretched in his place, yawning, then elaborated, "You know, Ed really knows what he's talking about. He said that he studied rocket physics, and I don't think he's lying."

"Really?" Flamel asked, interest peaked. "Maybe I'll go with you guys tomorrow and talk to him. He sounds like an intelligent young man."

After some more boring, irrelevant discussion, the two Flamels left, leaving the brother and sister in relative peace.

Sophie stood up and walked to the doorway. She peeked her head out, and then seeing no one in the immediate area, closed the door. Then she walked over to where her brother was lounging.

"Hey, Josh? Can I show you something?"

He looked up. "Hmm? Sure?"

Sophie pulled a slightly crinkled piece of paper out of her pocket. It was old and yellow, and looked kind of brittle. Closer inspection revealed that it was an old newspaper clipping, all in German, of course.

She offered it to her brother. Josh took a look, and then shrugged. "So?"

Sophie's voice was shaky. "Look at the date, then at the photo."

Josh looked back at the piece of newspaper. Dates are universal. _Oktober 1919._ This paper was about 90 years old.

He quickly scanned through the article. There was nothing that he could understand, which kind of was a given. Then he flipped the clipping over. The photo was in black and white (white being a relative term, of course. It was more yellow), but the two eyes fiercely gazing at the reader were unmistakable. He hadn't even changed much. The boy in the photograph, over 90 years ago, was no one other than Edward Elric.

* * *

><p>Lalala... Corny cliffhanger end is corny and cliche. Oh well. I'll probably update within another two weeks, if high-school doesn't get to me.<p>

Review, review, and review! XD


	8. Chapter 8

Josh held the paper in his hands, realization dawning in his eyes. He shook his head, though whether it was in shock or disbelief was unknown to Sophie. He slumped back into his armchair.

"If this is really true-"

"Do you really doubt it?" Sophie asked. Her brother sighed.

"Soph, we've met legends, people who lived long ago who should be dead right now. Immortals, like Joan and Nicholas. _Of course_ it's a possibility that Ed is one too. Besides, we've already said that Ed isn't normal, but that shouldn't mean we should jump to conclusions. Maybe the guy in the photo was his grandfather, and just happens to look _extremely_ like each other. Maybe it's just a huge coincidence. Flamel said so himself that he was unaware of any immortals in Germany. That's why we came here in the first place. It just so happens that the one tiny town in the middle of nowhere that we decide to hide out in has a possible immortal resident…" His voice trailed off, suspicion slowly growing.

"It's too much of a coincidence. Do you think it's a possibility that Flamel lied?"

Sophie pondered the question, then slowly shook her head. "I don't think so. There's no reason he would lie to us in this case. Besides, Ed has made no mention of Flamel, and vice-versa. And Nicholas didn't show any recognition at Ed's name, and such."

"So from this we can conclude that either Ed is an immortal that Flamel is unaware of, or we're completely off our rockers and are making wild assumptions."

Sophie grinned. "That pretty much sums it up."

Josh sighed. "Is it just me, or is it worrying that it's easier to believe that our science teacher is immortal versus an uncanny family resemblance?"

His twin could only laugh and laugh, and the adults could only wonder what they were talking about.

* * *

><p>The next day, they found out.<p>

They trekked up to Ed's house at their usual time, with Nicholas tagging along. Perenelle had opted to stay back in town, doing who-knows-what. The twins were forced to go at a slower pace, due to Flamel's increasing age (or at least, his aging body).

For once, Ed was waiting for them on his porch.

"Hey guys, you're a bit slow today. Who's gramps?"

Nicholas frowned. He knew that his body was aging, but surely it wasn't _that_ bad (he's still in denial). Besides, whatever happened to respect for your elders? He wasn't sure who this punk was, but he didn't like him.

"I'm Dr. Nicholas Flemming, physicist and mentor to these two youngsters," he said in his sternest and most authoritive voice. The young man did not look impressed. At all.

"Yeah, well, I'm Edward Elric, Ful- I mean, child prodigy. I've got a bazillion master's degrees in various fields, and I can't say I've heard of you. And you suck like _s__cheiße_ at teaching these 'youngsters'. They didn't even know the basics!"

Nicholas harrumphed. Okay, so maybe saying he was a physicist wasn't the best choice. He wasn't lying, but how would he explain that he was the '' that helped test nuclear bombs in New Mexico back in the 1940's? So he settled for "I don't really publish my works, so not many people know of me."

Ed raised an eyebrow. "Really? Well, I'd be interested to read your works, _Doctor_. If you have any, that is."

Josh stifled a snicker. He was enjoying this, he really was. Flamel looked like he was going to explode with indignation (or he just looked really constipated, who could tell?) and Ed just looked irritated. He wasn't quite sure why, but apparently Flamel got under his skin. And he _had_ noticed Ed's little slip-up when he was introducing himself. Ful? Ful-what? Fulcrum? What did a fulcrum have anything to do with this? Maybe it had something to do with that mysterious photo…

Sophie fidgeted. "Er…."

Everyone looked at her, and she blushed. Ed's face flushed when he realized he had not invited everyone into the house yet. Peeved he may be, but he still had manners!

"Right…. Well, come in. I'll be busy with the children, so you can either go home or amuse yourself somehow. Just… come in."

The trio awkwardly followed the blonde into the house. Ed jerked his head towards one of the rooms. "You guys know where to go. I guess you can bring Gramps along. I'll be back in a moment." Before they could say another word, he disappeared into the maze that was this house.

Josh shrugged at Sophie, who rolled her eyes. "Sheesh… are you sure he's really an immortal? He's so immature!"

He whispered back, "Dunno. He left before we could even ask him."

They walked to the living room, dragging 'Gramps' along. Nicholas was muttering under his breath, "Gramps? Who's he calling Gramps? Respect! I bet he's not much of a scientist. Hmph!"

The twins plopped themselves into their seats. Flamel entered the room, and scanned it dispassionately. However, as soon as he saw the snake insignia on the wall, he froze.

"Eh, what's wrong, _Gramps_?" Josh jokingly asked. However, Flamel's answer was anything _but_ light-hearted, however.

"That's _my_ symbol," He whispered, shocked. "I even put it on my grave. What's it doing _here_?"

Josh was surprised, to say the least. He _had_ been wondering about the symbol, but had figured it had been decorative, or something. To find out it had ties with the alchemist they had been traveling was… eye-opening.

He looked at Sophie, and she nodded. He opened his mouth, "You _sure_ you've never heard of Ed?"

Flamel looked flummoxed. The day just kept getting more and more bizarre.

"No-o… Well, the name sounds a _wee_ bit familiar, but I can't recall where. Should I have?"

"We have reasons to believe he's older than he looks."

"With today's surgeries and makeups, that's not too hard, Josh."

Josh shook his head. "No, that's not what I meant. I mean, me and Sophie think he's immortal."

"What?"

* * *

><p>"What?"<p>

Flamel exclaimed, too stunned to speak. He wasn't the only one who had spoken in surprise.

A very ashen-faced Ed stood in the doorway. He shook his head. "What preposterous things are you guys talking about?"

Moment of truth and confrontation then. Josh looked at Ed in the eye. As much as he liked the guy, he wasn't completely sure about this issue. Might as well be direct, since there was no way of asking the question without sounding like he needed to be locked in the loony bin.

"Are you immortal, Ed?"

The German pursed his lips, and frowned. He leaned against the doorframe, and spat out, "Equivalent Exchange." Suddenly, his accent seemed a lot thicker and noticeable.

"Huh?"

"I said, Equivalent Exchange. If you want me to answer your question, you have to answer mine first. '_Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return'. _That is how life works, and the universe stays in balance, _ja_?"

Flamel straightened up. Actually, he _had_ heard of Equivalent Exchange, though it had been many years ago. Rumors, really, the kind that were passed from one immortal to another. Most scientists knew the basic concept, but there were whispers of alchemists who lived their lives strictly by that law.

"So, is that man really the infamous alchemist, Nicholas Flamel?" Ed never really had gone far. The best way to learn about someone was to observe how they react to a new environment, and listen in on their conversations. Though this new development was fairly unexpected.

"Um…." Things were moving too fast for Josh's brain to fully comprehend.

"Yes, I am. The question is, who are you?"

Ed shook his head, golden bangs covering his eyes. "No one. I'm no one in this world. Just forget about it. Although I am fairly older then I look, I bear you three no ill will, though I advise you to be more discreet in the future. If he," here, he jerked his head toward a bemused Flamel, "is Flamel, then you two must be the infamous twins of legend."

Here, Nicholas narrowed his eyes. "So you _are_ an immortal," he hissed, accusing. Ed shrugged.

"Never said I wasn't. Besides, it's not something you bring up in an everyday conversation."

"So who's your master? Are you an ally, or an enemy?"

Ed sighed, and then slouched his way into the room. He stopped in front of the symbol on the wall, and stood there, lost in thought. When he replied, his voice was distant. "I am neither friend nor enemy. I owe my allegiance to no Elder. You have many questions, and I know many answers. But this is not the time. Come back tomorrow, and I may answer them. Josh, Sophie, I apologize for not getting anything done today. I didn't expect you two to find out so soon. _Ich entschuldige mich_. Please see yourselves out."

He walked out of the room. Everyone watched his receding back, and looked at each other in bewilderment.

Ed leaned against the easel, and sighed. He clutched a mug of steaming coffee in his hands, and he gazed into its murky depths as if he could see some sort of vision within the hot liquid.

He spoke aloud, "I owe my allegiance to no Elder…. But there's one fucking bastard in the universe who keeps fucking with my life."

Here, he was referring to Truth, of course. Today's conversations had managed to dredge up even _more_ unpleasant memories. His eyes scanned his own paintings littered all over the room. He was pretty sure he had painted- Ah, yes he had. There it was. A picture of a scene littered with carnage and dead bodies, of broken buildings and broken hearts. Quite literally, in this case. It was before Al had died, but was a similar situation, just with different results.

_An explosion. Or, at least another one this week. The fighting was getting more intense, and the two of them really wanted to leave before they got too caught up. Of course, the bombing took everyone by surprise. Most of all, Ed._

_Blazing lights, intense heat. It had reminded the alchemist of that first time he had come to this world, trapped and dying in a blazing blimp that would soon be his grave. But this time he wouldn't be sent back to Amestris. This time was for real. If he died now, he was gone for good. _

_Suddenly, he felt something pierce his chest, and he cried out in pain. He fell; limp, to the ground, trying to hold in whimpers. Screw all of that, it didn't matter what happened to him. He had to make sure Al was safe!_

"_Ed? Oh my gosh Ed, are you alright?" Al's frantic voice somehow penetrated the gloom, and Edward could make out his brother's hazy silhouette through his rapidly dimming vision._

"'_M fine….how…you… alright?" He choked out, clearly not. Alphonse noticed the growing bloom of blood staining his brother's shirt, and he gasped, panic clearly lacing his voice. _

"_You're obviously not!" He ripped the shirt open, and suddenly paled. Embedded in Ed's chest was a piece of shrapnel, about the size of a fist, jagged and sharp, slick and coated with blood._

_Ed giggled, slightly loopy from the pain. "See? It's fine. Not as bad as that time at Brigg's where the beam skewered me through my stomach."_

"_Yeah, but this thing is sticking through most of your vitals!" Al exclaimed in horror. "Wait right here, I don't think you'll last long if you don't get immediate treatment."_

_His footsteps faded away. Ed lifted his head, and said in a slurred voice, "Al?"_

_The heavy clomps of footsteps returned, and Al knelt down. "Oh Gate, Brother, please hang in there!" He pleaded. "Please don't leave me alone! Please please work…."_

"_Al?" Ed questioned. Was the sun setting already, or was it just really dark in here? "What are you doing?"_

"_Brother, please forgive me."_

"_?"_

_A yank pulled the miscellaneous chunk of metal and glass out of his chest, and he felt a steady gush of red liquid exiting from the wound, pooling around him. Strangely enough, by now he felt no pain from such an action._

"_It's so red…" He murmured, "just like a Philosopher's Stone…."_

_Just like a Philosopher's Stone… what was Al doing? Didn't he know better? He should leave already, there might be more bombs. He had to get himself to safety, and leave Ed behind. What was he thinking?_

_Al's face finally swam into focus. His face was pale and grimy, tear streaked. He whispered, "I'm so sorry. This is the only way to save you."_

_A sudden push, and Ed felt something inserted into his body. Alchemical light flared around him, and heat ran through his veins. Ed had screamed_-

And had found himself unable to die, unable to age, unable to get injured.

Later on, Al had admitted that Hohenheim had left them a single Philosopher's Stone, in case of an emergency. He hadn't been thinking rationally when he saw Ed fatally wounded, and had acted on instinct. Later on, this would come back to save Ed many times… In addition, it allowed Edward to used alchemy on this side of the Gate.

Of course, everything had changed after the second explosion, when Al had died. Ed left Munich, and after the war ended, traveled around the world, going anywhere except for America. He had met some interesting people. There was that Dullahan in Tokyo, and that odd pair of Englishman when he had visited London (Ed hadn't like them that much. The boy reminded him too much of Bradley, with his eye-patch and all, and the older man seemed very… predatory). In Italy he had met two brothers, as stereotypical as can be, though they were quite different from each other. He had traded stories with them, and the younger one (what was his name again… Feliciano, maybe?) had later invited him for dinner. Ed chuckled at the memory. Whatever was said, Italians certainly knew how to cook up some delicious pasta!

And some of these (fine, _many _of these) people he had met weren't exactly what you would call average (So he had a knack for bumping into supernatural creatures and discovering world-shaking plots. So what?) Some of these people, as he had learned, were _immortal_, just like Hoenheim had been and just like Ed was now.

And through these people he had learned about magics (What a misnomer. It wasn't really magic, not really.) and leygates and Shadowrealms. He had learned about auras and Elders and prophecies.

One prophecy in particular had been spoken with hushed tones and whispers, about the end of the Age of Humans and twins and the sun and moon. And Ed had laughed and called it rubbish and scoffed at the very idea of telling the future. He had thought it was a load of bull-shit until he had seen the twins. Although he hadn't been _sure_, he instantly knew they were the One.

And that's what frustrated him. He hated the idea, the feeling, of just knowing. He was a scientist, and a scientist always supported his theories with fact, with proof, and with evidence.

But he was definitely sure now. Them coming out to confront him and the fact that they were traveling with Flamel was enough. He hadn't expected them to catch on so soon, but what did you really expect? They weren't your typical ignorant stupid American kids after all.

The fact that they were traveling with Nicholas Flamel (and presumably his wife Perenelle) was interesting enough. Oh, he had certainly heard of him. (He found it odd that Izumi had chosen that as her symbol as well, but it probably was just coincidence, an odd quirk from having parallel Shadowrealms.)

The infamous Nicholas Flamel. It was rumored that misfortune and death followed in his wake, and those who associated with him always met a bitter fate. Ed snorted, and nearly choked on the inhaled coffee. After a bout of coughing, he finally relaxed enough to continue his line of thought. It wasn't as if his own life could get any worse, though he did worry a bit for the villagers, the "muggles" who had no idea of the potential drama unfolding in their sleepy little town.

Why they had chose Germany, chose Risemburg out of all places, was still a mystery. Obviously, they had not expected someone like him here, though people seldom do. Ed bared his teeth in a feral grin, watching his own reflection in the remnant of coffee in his cup. He could feel the andreline pumping in his veins, the old excitement coming back. Oh yes. No one ever expected the Fullmetal Alchemist. He gave a bark of laughter and threw his head back, downing the rest of his drink. He was going to have some fun tomorrow.

_Dee stepped into the plaza. The square was full of people, young couples strolling together, families out with their children. The sun was shining, and pigeons cooed. In the background, the sound of laughter and bubbling fountains could be heard._

_It did not fit such a dark meeting._

_He looked around, semi-paranoid. Envy had left instructions to meet him in Stollberg Plaza, but he did not know why such a creature would want to meet in such a place. Here, he would stick out like a sore thumb. _

_His eyes scanned the crowd once, twice, and he could still see no signs of his partner. No sign of the conspicuous long hair or outfit. He frowned, puzzled and irritated. _

_Dee did not like being puzzled or irritated. Perhaps he was late. Perhaps _it_ was late._

_Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and he jumped. Displeased with himself for showing such emotion, he turned around, half-expecting Envy to be leering at him. Not so. A German youth, taken back by the hostile look on Dee's face, stammered, "_Excuse me ... Wollen Sie zu meiner restaurant kommen? Es ist die beste ... Gutes Essen und Trinken!" [Excuse me... Do you want to come to my restaurant? It is the best... Good food and drink!]

_Dee took a minute to translate that in his head, then shrugged. Why not? It wasn't his fault that he didn't find the , he was hungry and thirsty from his flight, and he still had a few euros. He nodded once, and the boy, encouraged, led Dee to an average looking building. _

_Instead of going through the door as expected, the boy went through the alley, beckoning with his hands for Dee to follow. Normally Dee would've been suspicious at this point, but he was jet-lagged and weary, and obviously not thinking he followed him._

_As he entered the dark alley-wayhe sensed something swinging towards his head, and ducked. Something overhead whistled through the air and missed, slamming against the wall. Acting on instinct, Dee lashed a roundabout kick-_

_Only to have his foot caught by the same German boy he had been following moments before._

_He grinned, a leering grin, too sharp-toothed, and said in perfect English, ''_My, my, Doctor, so careless! If it was anyone besides me, you'd be dead by now."

_Dee's mind was a muddled mess. How had the person gotten behind him, if he was in front of him a moment ago? What was going on?_

_Dee had thought it impossible, but the smile grew even wider, as if the boy could sense his thoughts. He stepped back._

_Energy crackled, and the boy _changed_. It started from his head, and gradually moved on to his feet. Blonde hair became long and green-hued. Blue eyes shifted to mavolent violent. T-shirt and jeans melted away and became that odd outfit._

_Envy smirked some more. _

"Really, Doctor, you disappoint. You're master spoke so highly of you, yet here…"

_He waved a hand for emphasis. "_Just pathetic._"_

_Dee felt a vein throb, and swallowed. Keeping his anger in check, he changed the subject and replied,_ "I wasn't aware that homunculi could shapeshift."

"They don't, usually. I'm just special." _He stuck his tongue out, and Dee inwardly shuddered. What a repulsive creature._

"You could have informed me. It is imperative to the mission-" _He was cut short by a growl, and a strong hand grabbing him by his hair and viciously slamming it into the wall. Dee swore as he heard something crack, and stars swam in front of his eyes. Pain rose in waves from the contact point, and his eyes watered. A voice hissed in his ears, _"Listen, _human_." _The voice dripped with disdain_. "You are disgustingly inferior to me. Don't go around trying to order me around, because that isn't how it works." _The hand let go, and he dropped to the ground like a limp doll._

"_We start tomorrow."_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yeah... I got nothing to say, besides the fact that I hate the end of the quarter. This story is a living thing, I swear. Sometimes it just flows, and sometimes it loves to give me problems.**

**References and shout-out galore! Can you identify them all?**_  
><em>


	9. Chapter 9

Ed threw the doors open wide, embracing the warm sunny morning. The weather was beautiful- clear blue sunny skies. He could see the twins (and the old man must've tagged along with them again. Oh, and who was this? Another friend of theirs? An older lady, not as old-looking as Flamel, but definitely not considered young, was accompanying them. Must be Flamel's wife Perenelle, the famed Sorceress of extreme renown, then) making their way towards his house, so outside he waited.

As they drew nearer to the house, he spoke, "Welcome again, friends.

Flamel gave a stiff nod. He may have been peeved at Ed, but he had been brought up with manners and the passing centuries had only reinforced that politeness. Sophie gave a meek "Hey" and a small wave, while Josh just grinned.

Ed finally stood up, dusting off his pants and straightening his back before offering a hand to the older woman. "And if this old man is the famed Nicholas Flamel, you must be his equally famed wife and even more feared sorceress, Perenelle." She accepted his hand, but instead of shaking hands in greeting the blond lifted it to his face and lightly brushed with his lips. As everyone's mouth dropped open in shock, he gave them a cheeky smile and added, "I've heard many stories about you."

Completely unfazed and unperturbed by this unexpected turn of events, Perenelle merely raised an eyebrow at the upstart in front of her. "Oh, have you now? And are any of them good stories?"

Ed dropped her hand and stepped back, shrugging. "Not all of them good, but stories are but stories. I try not to judge people until I've met them for myself, not based on rumors and the impressions of others." His eyes roamed over the group, making eye contact with each person. Perenelle seemed to get the message, and nodded with both acceptance and approval. On the other hand, her husband was too busy fuming. Not because he was _jealous,_ but because of the German's audacity to treat him with such rudeness, then his wife with _that_ display!

Josh nudged Sophie. "You've got to admit, immortal or not, Ed's got balls. That guy is one smooooooth muthafucka."

"Josh!" Sophie gave a scandalized hiss.

"What?" he protested. "It's true!"

Meanwhile, Ed gestured them inwards. "My deepest apologies for my rudeness, both yesterday and today. I have no right keeping you outside like this when it is clear that you have business with me. Please, come in."

The little group trundled past him, through the open doorway, and into the house. Ed gave a mental sigh of relief. He hadn't been sure whether or not he'd get away with that little ploy of his. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, and it was always a good idea to leave a good impression on Perenelle Flamel. If his experiences were anything to go by (and his mind whispered of the cold flash of a sniper's rifle and the phantom pains of a wrench to the head), it was the females that always had the most power in any relationship. And while it was true that he didn't judge people until he met them, he _had_ hear the stories and wasn't suicidal, Philosopher's Stone or not. He didn't fear Flamel and could treat him rudely if he felt like it (and Flamel _was_ an arrogant pompous geezer so far), but his wife was a totally different matter and a little respect wouldn't go amiss.

And when things were all said and done, the years spent with Mustang had rubbed off on him.

By the time he entered his house, everyone had already assembled themselves in the living room. Flamel was showing the symbol tacked to the wall to Perenlle, who was busy securitizing the photos and books strewn all around them like the flotsam of a shipwreck. Sophie sat on a sofa, fidgeting, while Josh warily watched the Flamels.

Ed walked in a shifted a few of the heavier textbooks, clearing three more seats, then promptly sat himself down, his "respectful foreign stranger" mask still in place.

His "masks" were various acts and personas he had constructed in order to survive living in a different world, far from anything he knew and understood. They stretched back to his military days, where people treated him differently depending on what they perceived of him. He had honed these acting skills on his quest for the Stone (and those days seemed eons ago). The sweet meek child was met with charity, care, and a promise of free food and shelter, handy when he and his brother were short on money and friendly faces. The knowledgeable but modest curious mind was welcome to research and notes. The arrogant, prideful state alchemist had the power-hungry higher-ups desperately doing anything in order to curry his favor. A different mask for every different reason, different situation, different purpose.

And now he was dealing with strangers only preceded by their reputation. He had no clue what they wanted and what they were doing here, and he could only hope that the stories of doom and destruction were exaggerated. He was rather fond of Risemburg and its inhabitants and did not wish for harm to befall them.

But as they seated themselves around his living room, he suspected it not to be so. It was if the past 90 years had been but a dream and he a hibernating bear whose tranquil state of rest had been disturbed. He was awake now, and involved in something big, something exciting, something world-changing. Just like the good old days.

And the ones that had stirred things up, that had poked at and struck the hornets' nest, were sitting on his couch. In his living room. What did that kid that ran that creepy Gate-of-Truth shop say? "_There is no such thing as coincidence, only hitsuzen._" Only inevitability.

Whatever. 90 years and he still had no proof on prophecies and Fate. He was a scientist, not some Gate-damned Chosen One.

Well, if these really _were_ the twins of the Prophecy of Doom (then again, prophecies were rarely about anything else) maybe his beliefs would be disproven or dispelled. Or not.

By this time everyone had been comfortably seated as the numerous books would allow. Ed waited until he had everyone's attention, then spoke.

"Yesterday, I promised to answer your questions, and I try to keep my promises. However," he paused for emphasis, "as the twins know, I work on the principle of Equivalent Exchange." The Flamels started and traded a quick glance. "I assume you both are familiar with the concept."

Perenelle nodded, but it was Nicholas who spoke.

"Equivalent Exchange, more commonly known as Divine Providence or Conservation of Energy and Mass, depending on context, says humans cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost." He gave a weak chuckle. "But I haven't heard those exact words in years… it was a favorite phrase of the man we're searching for. He would repeat it all the time."

Ed nodded. "Every alchemist, chemist, biologist, or physicist understands that basic theory. The object or goal a person will trade for must have equal value to what the person trades with. In this case, a question for a question and an answer for an answer."

The Flamels' gazes sharpened with interest, and they looked to the twins. Sophie tilted her head in agreement. "Sounds fair to me." They nodded, and Ed relaxed, his spine losing its rigid stance.

"Good."

Josh merely gave a slight grimace. "Sounds like we're playing a game of Twenty Questions," he joked, "or Truth-or-Dare without the dares."

The slouching German blinked, then straightened up again. "We could play that," he said, slowly, unsure. "It somewhat amounts to the same thing."

Sophie shot the two of them a bemused look, snorted, and rolled her eyes. Josh elbowed her. "Hey, I was only kidding, not suggesting."

"If you two are done," Flamel broke in, giving the twins a pointed look, "I would like to go first."

Ed nodded with assent.

"How do we know we can trust you?"

"How do_ I _ know I can trust _you_?" Ed retorted. He leaned forward. "I've heard the rumors, after all." He sighed, then straightened up. "But, trust is given only when returned. For this to work out, there needs to be trust on both sides. Again, Equivalent Exchange. Personally, I'm not worried or afraid of you, but I've been living in this village for a while, and I don't want harm coming to the villages here. They're simple, good people, and they don't deserve the trouble." He shook his head, his golden bangs swaying with the movement. "So what do you intend to do, should the usual follow you here this time around? Do you think I haven't heard about Paris? I should warn you, Alchemist, news travels fast, both through humans and those not mortal. Should you stir up something here, the whole world would know within the week, no matter how isolated and off the map Risemburg is. Destruction is something I'd like to keep away, if possible."

Flamel held up his hands in a placating gesture. He had seen the same expression on the faces of Palamedes and Shakespeare, and many others before that. It was the expression of a bear guarding her cubs, of someone with something to protect, something that they'd gladly attack others to keep safe. And while he didn't like Elric so far, it was a sentiment he could appreciate and admire. In addition, such people rarely would agree to willingly work for the Elders, and it wasn't wise to make enemies when it could be avoided.

"There are no intentions to bring danger to this place. In fact, we came here to escape it, to keep the twins safe. But knowing Dee and the evil creatures he serves and the foul beasts he associates himself with, he will not stop until we do, and will got to any lengths to ensure that Sophie and Josh are captured, and my wife and I killed. Should they discover our location, we'll leave immediately." He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, then frowned when the thinning grey strands came loose in his hand. It was just another reminder of the borrowed time he and Perenelle were living on.

Ed seemed satisfied, but Josh knew that when that day came, things wouldn't be that simple. It was Perenelle who posed the next question. "Actually, we came to this village looking for a certain person. If you could tell us where he is, or point us in the right direction, we could be on our way and out of this town since it seems that he no longer lives here."

The German shrugged. "You can ask, but there is no guarantee I know where he went. Have you asked anyone else yet?"

Perenelle pursed her lips. "We've been looking for the past few days, but he seems to have vanished. And we can't exactly ask anyone, since we haven't seen him since prior to World War Two."

Ed mulled over this before continuing. "An immortal then, and one who previously lived in Germany. That's an almost impossible task, I'm afraid. Those who didn't support the Elders all left during that time period, and obviously they didn't leave behind any paperwork. Not many have bothered returning, having settled down in other locations by the time the war ended." He lifted his eyes to gaze blankly into the air, seeing a past long gone. "Those were bad years for many of us, mortals and immortals alike."

"Why didn't you leave?" Sophie asked, curious. Ed shrugged.

"I was going to, but then it was too late. My brother was dead, so there was no point in going to America anymore. And those immortals working for the Elders were the driving force in the government, and were keeping an eye out for any remaining immortals. If the governmental scientists got a hold of us…" his voice trailed off. The Flamels, who fully understood the implications, suppressed a shudder.

"So, you can understand why it is doubtful that I'd know this person's current whereabouts."

The two older adults traded slightly alarmed looks with the twins. They'd be back at square one with Dee and his minions hot on their heels. The Flamels were aging at a rate where everyone knew they weren't going to last long. With their allies scattered and missing, this was their only hope for aid and sanctuary. If Ed couldn't help them…

"He's an alchemist as well," Flamel added, a tad desperately. This was his last chance to protect the twins, and through them, the world.

The blonde hummed thoughtfully, leaning back into the sofa. "Well, that narrows it down a bit. There weren't many alchemists here during that time, which caused the uprising party a fair amount of grief during that whole Shamballa mess…"

Perenelle leaned forward, hands clasped, feeling a spark of hope slowly rekindle itself.

"Have you heard of the Alchemist of Light?"

_Alchemist of Light._ Unbidden, the words dropped from his lips. "Hohenheim," Ed whispered, eyes going wide. It was the name of someone he hadn't thought of for _years_.

The others saw the recognition in his eyes and heard the familiarity in his voice. Ed knew the man, knew who they were seeking.

When he finally spoke, his voice was heavy.

"_Ja_, I knew Hohenheim."

Knew?

"He… was a good man. Powerful and skilled, too. One of my biggest regrets as well… I wish I had understood him more and got to know him better when I was younger. All those years wasted on hate and resentment… but I can see why you'd seek his help. A good and talented alchemist."

_Was_ a good man?

Ed's gaze sharpened. The others already knew where this was going, what his next words would be.

"But I'm afraid he died in 1923. You're too late."


End file.
